Reclining chairs are well known in the art, as are chairs that have a foot rest that can extend from the seat portion in conjunction with or independent of the reclining of the back portion of the chair. Known recliners, however, have a gap between the seat portion of the chair and the leg-rest portion when the leg rest is fully extended. This can cause discomfort to some users who have to sit for long periods of time, such as during a transatlantic or transpacific airplane flight. Furthermore, most leg-rest portions do not extend far enough to accommodate the feet of tall occupants. This results in the occupant's feet hanging over the end of the leg rest, a position that can cause discomfort or circulation problems during long periods of sitting in general and sleeping, in particular.
Because many people must sit, and even sleep, for long hours in a chair on, for example, an international aircraft flight, a chair having a leg-rest assembly capable of extending from the seat without generating a gap between the seat and the leg rest, and to accommodate one's feet would be an important improvement in the art.